How to Pick a Financial Advisor for your Retirement Plan

One of the most important steps to retiring is to pick the right financial adviser. This is second only to getting a lawyer in importance. There are a lot of financial advisers out there and it can be hard to know right off the bat which one is for you…

First, how to get to one. They advertise in phonebooks and magazines and websites. I have a couple of advisers I think are good for general finance. And if you want to focus on investment let me tell you, go straight to Morgan Stanley. They have experts who compete to answer your question and it is almost comical to watch. I still wonder how much they get paid.

Since there are so many, here are a few of the best places online to find high quality financial advice at a reasonable rate:

First I think you should go to www.Ameriprise.com. This company first and foremost has a lot of history behind it, being in business for more than one hundred years. I think the best thing about this company and what sets it apart from all others is the fact that it gives you on trial consultation for free. This way if you do not like their advice-you will as they treat these like any normal session-you do not have to buy a thing. And, free things are always good, right?

Second I think you should go to Paladin Registry. Unlike Ameriprise this is an exclusively online company. It also provides the bets free service on the web. What it does is allow investors to enter information into a search type engine and then find financial advisers based on that. This is one of the best online companies in the business and what they amount to accomplishing is having businesses compete over the customer directly which is very beneficial to them… Great site.

As far as ascertaining their value on a personal level, should you choose to go to a local affiliate, there are a few good standards to go by, including making sure they clearly explain the plan and leave no room for doubt, make sure they have numerous references, and ask for a degree if you think this is necessary.

Finding a financial adviser can be a seemingly difficult process but I think with the advice above and some initiative it will be relatively painless, leaving you with that much more money to enjoy your retirement itself.